The present invention relates generally to spray assemblies and control valves associated therewith and more particularly to such spray assemblies and control valves which are particularly designed for spraying of fluids which are to be intermixed simultaneously with the application thereof to a working surface and/or applications requiring sequential spraying of a plurality of different fluids.
This application is related to and constitutes a modification of the invention disclosed and claimed in Levine et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,754 issued Dec. 28, 1982, which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention and the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
There exist a large number of applications in which it is necessary of desirable to apply a plurality of fluids to a working surface either sequentially or with the fluids intermixed. In many of those applications in which the fluids are to intermixed, the resulting mixture has a relatively short shelf or working life and hence it becomes desirable to delay mixing thereof as long as possible. Such fluids may be for example various resins and setting catalysts or hardeners for example. Further, the process of mixing large quantities of fluids manually is often cumbersome and messy and may entail delays in production operations as well as result in costly waste due to the need to dispose of left over quantities such as at the end of a day or production run. Further, some fluids may have a working life when mixed which is short enough to require mixing of small quantities at relatively frequent intervals during the working day.
With respect to those applications requiring sequential applications of different fluids either to the same or sequential work surfaces, it is very desirable to provide apparatus which may be easily so changed without the need to change or reposition the spraying apparatus. Also, with respect to those fluids which are to be intermixed, it is desirable to provide apparatus which accomplishes this mixing as they are being utilized thereby avoiding potential waste and/or delays in production.
The present invention provides an improved spraying apparatus which overcomes the above mentioned potential problems by enabling the internal mixing of a plurality of fluids within a common discharge passage whereby only the amounts required for the particular application are consumed. The apparatus comprises an extremely compact housing containing a plurality of independently actuatable valve assemblies equal in number to the fluids to be sprayed each of which is operable to selectively and independently control the flow of fluid to a common discharge passage. The valved porting and discharge passages are so arranged that a relatively thorough mixing and atomization of the fluids is achieved within the housing thereby assuring proper application of the mixture. Further, the passage arrangement offers the advantage of being substantially self-cleaning thereby minimizing the potential of clogging as well as reducing the possibility of contamination of one fluid by another in those applications requiring sequential spraying of different fluids.
Additional advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent description and the appended claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.